BALTIMORE – Flood alerts have been issued for nearly 30 million from northeast Pennsylvania to New England as a soggy stretch of weather that has triggered flash flooding in multiple states already this week stretches into Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning, torrential rains from a stubborn thunderstorm triggered a Flash Flood Emergency for the city of Baltimore, Howard County, Anne Arundel, and parts of Baltimore and Harford counties, which were also at one point under a Tornado Warning and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.
Emergency officials in the Baltimore area reported multiple water rescues after 2.5 to 4.5 inches of rain fell.
According to National Weather Service storm reports, multiple cars also flooded in Baltimore-area towns including Parkville, Pikesville, Lochearn, Arbutus, and Catonsville.
U.S. Highway 29 was closed due to high water between Baltimore and Washington near Fairland. Parts of I-495 were also closed in Chevy Chase, Maryland, due to water over the road, the NWS reported.
Wednesday is shaping up to be a nasty day for the Northeast, especially along Interstate 95. The potential for flash flooding will increase as a strong cold front moves through the region. Some areas could see an additional 2-3″ of rain after an already wet start to the week. This comes after heavy rains swamped parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island Tuesday, triggering a Flash Flood Emergency in the town of Leominster.
Fueling these storms is a high amount of tropical moisture streaming in ahead of the cold front, the FOX Forecast Center said.
The moisture, combined with pockets of instability within the atmosphere, will create periods of heavy rain all throughout the day Wednesday. The axis of heaviest rain seems to be shaping up in Massachusetts and Connecticut as a weak secondary low forms along the cold front.
There is a low risk some of the storms could evolve into severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging wind gusts of 60 mph, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center.
The rain is expected to finally clear out by Thursday morning leaving millions with fall-like conditions on Thursday.
However, coastal New England will again see heavy rains over the weekend as Hurricane Lee passes by just offshore.